Brace Yourselves for NA LCS Super Week

Brace Yourselves for NA LCS Super Week

Super Week's here and we’ve got sixteen games to play over a span of three days starting Friday, March 7. The 2014 spring split is coming down to the wire with only four weeks left in the regular season. This is the time for the North American LCS teams to put their skills to the test and secure or improve their spot in the standings.

Team Coast vs. Team SoloMid

When: Friday, 3/7, 12:00pm PST / 22:00 CET

Team Coast’s current position at fifth place (7-9) is somewhat misleading as they have been on a consistent rise since Week 5. While solo laners Darshan “ZionSpartan” Upadhyaha and Danny “Shiphtur” Le have been on the forefront with impressive KDA’s and high-flying plays, the other three members of Team Coast have also been stepping up and doing their part.

The last time Team Coast and TSM met was in Week 6, during which Team Coast upset TSM, ending TSM’s 11-game win streak. Shiphtur, in particular, played exceptionally well as Ahri, going 11/1/10. If Team Coast wants a repeat victory, they will need to shut down top laner Marcus “Dyrus” Hill and mid laner Soren “Bjergsen” Bjerg in the lane phase, snowballing their own carries into the late game.

A win here will propel Team Coast into the upper half of the bracket. On the other hand, a win would help TSM maintain their position at the top of the NA LCS pack.

Cloud 9 vs. Team Dignitas

When: Saturday, 3/8, 12:00pm PST / 22:00 CET

During the last Super Week at the start of the spring split, Team Dignitas surprised the world by defeating former regional champions Cloud 9. William “Scarra” Li shined as Gragas, shutting down Hai “Hai” Lam’s Riven in the mid lane, ending the game with a KDA of 4/0/9. Though it appeared as if Dignitas would become a formidable threat in the NA LCS, they have performed inconsistently as the season progressed.

C9 got their revenge in Week 5 as they obliterated Dignitas in a one-sided 24-7 game. Scarra took a risk by locking in Veigar against Hai’s Kha’Zix. Though the decision was bold, it did not pan out as Dignitas had hoped; the team collapsed. If Dignitas wants to earn a victory again, they will need Scarra to step up and pick a champion he is comfortable carrying with, as he is the backbone of their success.

C9, on the other hand, simply has to play their game. They are more consistent in lane phase and team fights, so they have the upper hand coming into this match.

Team Coast vs. Counter Logic Gaming

When: Sunday, 3/9, 12:00pm PST / 22:00 CET

This is a battle between the most improved teams of the spring split. Though both Team Coast and CLG had rocky starts to the season, they slowly found their stride in the recent weeks, becoming admirable threats in the league.

Many of CLG’s early troubles sprang from Marcel “Dexter” Feldkamp’s Visa issues as they scrambled to fill the void with old talent such as George “HotshotGG” Georgallidis and Steve “Chauster” Chau. However, since Dexter’s debut in Week 4 of the split, things have been looking up for CLG.

Austin “LiNk” Shin has truly shined in his role as the mid laner, carrying with champions such as LeBlanc and Ziggs. Last week, LiNk went 7/2/6 against Team Curse and 5/0/8 against XDG Gaming. Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng and Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black have also been playing well, making names for themselves as one of the best duo lanes in the NA LCS.

The mid lane matchup between LiNk and Shiphtur will be one to watch as both pros are AP carry specialists.

Evil Geniuses vs. Team Curse

When: Sunday, 3/9, 12:0pm PST / 22:00 CET

EG and Team Curse are in desperate need of a win after two straight losses in Week 7. Both teams have won and loss aimlessly, performing inconsistently throughout the course of the spring split. However, it is without question that EG and Team Curse are true innovators with unorthodox team compositions going against the meta.

They are currently tied for sixth place with matching win records of 5-11. In their past two meetings of the season, Evil Geniuses has come out on top. If Evil Geniuses wants to continue the trend, they will have to shut down solo laners Diego “Quas” Ruiz and Joedat “Voyboy” Esfahani. Voyboy is unpredictable with both his champion picks and gameplay, sometimes carrying, other times falling apart.

The outcome of bot lane largely depends on the aggression of support players Mitch “Krepo” Voorspoels and Brandon “Saintvicious” DiMarco as David “Cop” Roberson and Peter “Yellowpete” Wuppen are generally more reactive to the play-making of their supports.

Tickets for Super Week are still on sale. Be sure to check lolesports.com for more information on scheduling, team rosters, and more.